The 300-level student of Medical Laboratory who hails from Ogboji community in Orumba South council area of Anambra State had been enjoying the benefits of her position until 11th day of October, 2016 when social media was awash with video clips where the beauty queen allegedly engaged in lesbianism with another girl.
At first, Chidinma was said to have denied being the one in the video until about a week later when a more explicit version of the video, which she later owned up, was released by those she described as her traducers.
Miss Okeke, was said to have sworn to expose “the powerful cabal” behind her ordeal in the sordid video, but her lawyer later said that she could no longer address journalists because “her life had been threatened.”
Her family breaks silence
For more than two weeks of the ugly development, all the concerned public could get was a chilling silence from her family. But Saturday Sun got hold of Chidinma’s father, Sir Jeremiah Okeke who is living in Aba, Abia State with his family, lamented that the family had been going through emotional and psychological trauma since it all started. With a voice laden with heavy emotions, the 65-year-old man told the reporter on the phone that the family had handed over the situation to God.
“Chidinma is my own daughter” “but there is nothing much I can say about this because there is a lifestyle adopted by my family. We don’t foment troubles.
“I, as the father, have committed everything to God in prayers. Human being cannot fight our cause but only God in heaven. We are in serious prayers for God to intervene. I don’t have anybody on earth except God.”.Asked if his daughter has before the incident complained to him that she was being sexually harrassed, he said he was confused about the whole matter, even as he raised the alarm over the whereabouts of his daughter.
“I am confused about the whole thing as of now. It is only when I set my eyes on my daughter that I will know about all these. As it stands now, I don’t know where my daughter is.”He said he was not suspecting anybody of having a hand in his daughter’s ordeal as speculated in the social media. Going back memory lane, Okeke recalled that God’s mighty hand on him was evidenced on his miraculous survival from his childhood tragedies.
“There are many ways God is fighting my battle. I was only five years when my father died. I don’t know whether I got up to six years before my mother died too. I don’t have anybody but it is only God that sustained me all through. It was same God that assisted me to raise and train all my children. All the family members are praying.
“As it stands now, my daughter is still a small girl. I don’t know whether she is still alive or dead. But all I know is that God will prove Himself worthy to fight His children’s battle. I don’t have much to say for now.
“So many people have told me to take certain actions but me and my God are still communicating through prayers. There are several ways God reveals some things to me. I am not suspecting anybody but only God knows who is behind that; whether he is human or spirit. I’m leaving whoever that is behind it to his conscience. The life of my daughter is most important to me now. Wherever she is, let her be alive for me.”The depressed Okeke, who obviously needs assistance to enable him bounce back to his years of comfort told Saturday Sun that his business which hitherto was flourishing was hit by the economic tsunami sweeping through the country.
“I am a businessman but because of this harsh economic condition, my business is no longer moving as expected. You understand? I am just doing little things to feed.
“I was a distributor for Peak Milk here in Aba, Abia State but for some time now, I have stopped because I don’t have strength for fomenting troubles. We borrow money from the banks to embark on the Peak Milk distribution business but when it became too competitive, in addition to the losses incurred in the course of doing the business, I stopped.”Chidinma’s cousin, Blessing Chinenye Nwafor, who our reporter met in their village in Ogboji, told Saturday Sun regrettably that the sex video had gone round their village.
“There was a day I was going out on a mission, some persons stopped me and told me about the sex video but I didn’t believe it. One of them said he saw the picture but not the video. I left them in anger. After walking some distance, another guy called my attention and showed me the video. The people in that area started mocking me; saying all sorts of foul things. I started crying and walked away from their midst.
“But later on, I learnt that what that boy did in the village was to share it with the villagers. I am personally annoyed about his attitude and I have resolved to call him later and caution him. They have an only daughter in their family. Suppose it were to be her, would he be going about and be showing it to everybody in the village? I have not seen him but once I see him, we would have some axe to grind.”Though the video had gone viral, Blessing told Saturday Sun that she was yet to believe it.
“When I heard about this sex video for the first time, even though I didn’t believe it, I was not happy at all. I told my mother about it when I returned home and she was very sad all through. She could not sleep that night.”She described Chidinma as “a good girl” pointing out that “personally, I don’t believe that she did that stuff. I am of the view that she was drugged and forced to do that thing. It is also possible that her enemies are behind that.”
For Mrs Hope Nwaka, Sir Okeke’s niece, her spirit tells her that Chidinma was innocent of the allegations.
“My spirit tells me that Chidinma did not do that thing she was being accused of; I know her very well. I see it as something planned to smear her name and that of our entire family. It is also paining my daughter, Chinenye but I told her to relax that it was not true.
“We are living in the last days. The love among brethren would grow cold. Nobody would want another person’s success. But I have not believed that stuff was true. It was forged. She could not have done that. Even if she did, know it that she was forced to do it.”Asked on the implications it could have on the yet to be married sisters of Chidinma, Mrs Nwaka said that it would not in any way stop them from getting suitors.
“For now, it is only one of her sisters that has gotten married but it will never stop others from getting married too. God is with our family and He will continue to bless us with everything we need including ensuring that her remaining sisters get married at the appropriate time.”Meanwhile, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka said it was yet to decide whether to expel the beauty queen as the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku was yet to be briefed.
Saturday Sun